Grace & Hayden : Part V
[Continued from Grace & Hayden : Part IV]
Hayden was not entirely sure of what he was doing. He knew he had forgotten Roxy. He knew he wanted to ask Helen out. Yet here he was with Grace with a very uncomfortable closeness. She showed care but stepped back too. He struggled hard to push the thought away that what Grace said was true to an extent and that she was only genuine and cared for him. But he dismissed that thought as rubbish and convinced himself that it wasn’t something he wanted in this world. Helen was more right for him. Grace was too complicated, caring, and Helen just about simple and easy to understand. Helen, it was.
Grace felt at home with the mountains. It did not matter to her that he was supposed to be a friend-date. In fact, she had forgotten about it entirely. It was just to be a help for her to move on. She was happy for Hayden, and she felt no pangs at all. Hayden had found a new love interest to keep him happy, and she was glad for him. She could enjoy her time out in her world in this trip and not worry much about the newly love-stricken heart.
Grace was the planner. She made all plans around Hayden’s interest in the place. She did not find a lot of things enticing in this location, but Hayden preferred this. For her, it was about time with nature, her ritualistic new year clock strike and, her luck this time, with someone she trusted.
Grace was a born extrovert. She soon made friends with everyone around. She often saw boredom in Hayden’s eyes. She felt guilty for taking him away from his friends’ parties. Maybe if he had not been here with her, he would have spent it with Helen or his other friends in a more colourful and happening party. The fact that he chose this trip and insisted on going, easily went to the back of her head. The new year trip meant a lot to her always. And she had let Hayden into that inner circle to share that moment with him. But that meant he had to stay away from his friends back home. She felt guilty for boring him. She decided she would do everything she could to keep him entertained.
When Hayden saw Grace, he was at ease. Initially he was very skeptical about the lack of internet and he was loaded with anxiety about how he would spend time there. But very slowly, he found himself opening up with some stories he did not think he would have ever shared with anyone. Grace heard it all patiently. It felt good to bring out his woes. He spoke and spoke. Sometimes out of interest and sometimes to kill time. He wasn’t sure how many stories he had to fill in for the next four days, but he just went on and on. Slowly but surely, everything he left back home was taking second place in his thoughts.
The went for a stream walk in the morning. Hayden taught her to walk through the stream. She had always been scared of it. But he helped her identify the paths. And how to identify the next steps. She smiled for she was learning and she was getting better. Hayden, on the other hand, learned to explore from Grace. She wasn’t scared to go ahead into where no one had been. And it was hard telling her not to go somewhere or to expect her to be docile. She was on her own path, and he enjoyed just leading her to the unknown. She was helping him face his fears and pushed him harder.
They played for a while and headed to the waterfall. The ambience and the setting were perfect with cold winds, tall trees, and the sound of the gushing water. They felt chill from the wet clothes.
How do I look, Hayden asked.
You look nice. She said, sounding diplomatic.
Haha, stop sugar-coating like you did when you saw me in the biking gear.
She laughed. He was right. When she first saw him the morning they left, she found him alluring. But she did not show it or so she thought. They were good friends, and she did not want to get romantically involved. That never ended well for her. She looked at the person in front of her, and she felt he would not break her heart. She then decided to go for it.
Alright what happens here stays here, and we don’t say about it when we head back.She said.
Of course not. He said, as though it was obvious.
Fine. Let’s see. You look hot. Sexy too. The wet hair look gives you a sexual appeal.
Hayden grinned. Grace liked making him smile. Compliments always made him feel good. Hayden seemed to come out of his initial inhibition.
They spoke a lot after that. About Roxy, Helen, Hayden’s family. For every story he finished, Hayden said he was going to ask Helen out right after they got back. It was less to tell her and more to convince himself. As he shared more stories with Grace, he found himself get closer to her. And he had to remind himself that Helen was waiting back home.
But the more he said he was going to ask Helen out, the more Grace felt he was rushing into things. Despite the first attempt, she wanted to talk to him about it. But she knew he wouldn’t listen. She was very concerned about him being hurt. What if Helen said a no and his heart would be broken again? She ignored her pain and began wondering how she can make Hayden see that he should take more time. Knowing well enough that Hayden would not listen, she switched modes from being protective of him to support him and started actively telling him how to work things out.
Hayden did not need much of a help because he was already quite confident that he was really amazing at it. And in truth, he was. Hayden was one of those kinds which people felt comfortable with. Genuinely. He would go out of his way to help others and make them feel comfortable. He knew his strengths and was pleased with them. That’s what made him popular.
[Continued in Grace & Hayden : Part VI]
